Graphic on predominantly blue background featuring side by side action photos of McMaster women's soccer player Alena Spehar and Queen's men's soccer player Matthew Ciavarro, with OUA Athletes of the Week logo and large white text that reads 'OUA Athletes of the Week' in the lower third
September 5, 2023

Spehar and Ciavarro named OUA athletes of the week

Burlington, Ont. – Alena Spehar and Matthew Ciavarro have been named OUA athletes of the week for the period ending September 3rd, 2023.

Alena Spehar, Soccer, McMaster

Action photo of McMaster women's soccer player Alena Spehar competing with an opposing player for the ball

Every senior wants to go out with a bang and that’s the exact script McMaster’s Alena Spehar has started to author with a back-to-back dominant offensive performances to start the season.

In her 2023 debut, Spehar scored her first hat trick of the year, netting all three of the Marauders’ goals. If that wasn’t impressive enough, her perfect shot percentage accounted for all of the Hamilton squad’s offence on the day and ensured they went away with a 3-2 victory over the Waterloo Warriors.

Less than 48 hours later, the Milton, Ont. native continued to assert her offensive acumen in the team’s home opener against those same Warriors. The dynamic forward scored three of the maroon machine’s four goals to help her team secure the 4-0 win against the visitors. To cap off her back-to-back hat tricks, Spehar came up clutch at the end of the game with a penalty kick that ultimately locked up the victory.

With two hat tricks already in tow after just two games, the veteran has shown herself to be a star on the pitch and a player to watch moving forward.

Matthew Ciavarro, Soccer, Queens

Action photo of Queen's men's soccer player Matthew Ciavarro holding his hands up to his ears encouraging crowd noise

This young forward proved himself to be a leader on the pitch in Queen’s early season efforts, helping his Gaels earn a pair of draws to open their 2023 campaign.

Matthew Ciavarro, a product of Cambridge, Ont., started off the week against a strong Toronto Varsity Blues team and recorded two of his side’s three goals, while assisting on the third, to ensure a 3-3 draw therein.

A few days later, the Gaels ventured to Oshawa to face Ontario Tech in their second game of the season, and once again, Ciavarro was at the heart of the team’s offensive output. The second-year commerce major found the back of the net once again against the Ridgebacks, opening the scoring less than five minutes in, and his team would parlay that start into a 2-2 draw.

The sophomore has proven himself to be a key offensive cog for the Gaels and his early spot tied atop the conference’s scoring leaderboard shows just that.